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Troubleshoot issues with plugins like Flash or Java to fix common Firefox problems

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Having problems with websites that use plugins like Adobe Flash? You'll need to check whether or not the plugin is the cause. We'll explain how to do this.
Having problems with websites that use plugins like Adobe Flash? You'll need to check whether or not the plugin is the cause. We'll explain how to do this.

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If you are having problems with pages that use [[Using plugins with Firefox|plugins]] (such as Flash, Windows Media Player, Java, and more) to display content, you may need to check to see whether a plugin is causing the problem. Common problems caused by plugins include: * [[Firefox crashes|Crashing]] or [[Firefox hangs|Hanging]] * [[Images or animations do not show|Images]] or [[Video or audio does not play|multimedia]] items do not load * [[Unable to download or save files|Problems downloading]] This article describes how to troubleshoot plugins. If you are having a problem with an extension or theme, see [[Troubleshooting extensions and themes]]. For general information on plugins, see [[Using plugins with Firefox]]. __TOC__ = Determining if a plugin is the problem = You can selectively disable plugins while Firefox is running. If you suspect a certain plugin, disable it first, then test for your problem. If you don't know which plugin to disable: #[[T:Open Add-ons|type=Plugins]] # Select a plugin in the list and then click its {button Disable} button. Repeat this step for each plugin in the list. You do not need to restart Firefox for the changes to take effect. # Test for your problem. If it does not occur, go back to the Add-ons {for fx4}Manager tab{/for}{for fx3,fx35}window{/for} and re-enable plugins one-by-one with the {button Enable} button until you find which one causes your problem to occur. If you find that disabling a plugin fixes your problem, continue following the steps in this article. = Updating or re-installing your plugins = Many problems with plugins can be solved by updating to the latest version of the plugin. [[T:plugincheck]] If updating to the newest version of the plugin or reinstalling it does not fix the problem, you can leave it disabled. = Manually uninstalling a plugin = If you can't use an uninstaller program to remove a plugin, you can remove it manually: # [[T:aboutconfig]] # Search for the preference: {pref plugin.expose_full_path}. # Double-click on the {pref plugin.expose_full_path} preference in the list to change the value to {pref true}. # Enter '''about:plugins''' into the Location bar to display the About Plugins page. # Each entry in the About Plugins page will have "File name:" followed by a path. {for win}Use Windows Explorer to navigate{/for}{for mac,linux}Navigate{/for} to the folder shown for the plugin you want to remove. # Rename the file to something other than its normal name - e.g. {filepath npswf32} becomes {filepath Xnpswf32} # Double-click on the {pref plugin.expose_full_path} preference in the list on the about:config page to change the value back to {pref false} to avoid exposing the plugin path to websites. The plugin will be removed. = Re-initializing the plugins database = In some cases, you may not be able to install or re-install a plugin. Re-initializing the plugins database may fix this problem: # [[T:profileFolder]] # [[T:closeFirefox]] # Delete the {filepath pluginreg.dat} file. # Open Firefox # In the Location bar type '''about:plugins''' and press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for} to bring up the Firefox plugins list. [[Template:ShareArticle|link=http://mzl.la/NYtGci]]
If you are having problems with pages that use [[Use plugins to play audio, video, games and more|plugins]] (such as Flash, Windows Media Player, Java, and more) to display content, you may need to check to see whether a plugin is causing the problem. Common problems caused by plugins include: * [[Firefox crashes - Troubleshoot, prevent and get help fixing crashes|Crashing]] or [[Firefox hangs or is not responding - How to fix|Hanging]] * [[Fix problems that cause images to not show|Images]] or [[Fix common audio and video issues|multimedia]] items do not load * [[What to do if you can't download or save files|Problems downloading]] This article describes how to troubleshoot plugins. If you are having a problem with an extension or theme, see [[Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems]]. For general information on plugins, see [[Use plugins to play audio, video, games and more]]. __TOC__ = Determining if a plugin is the problem = You can selectively disable plugins while Firefox is running. If you suspect a certain plugin, disable it first, then test for your problem. If you don't know which plugin to disable: #[[T:Open Add-ons|type=Plugins]] # Select a plugin in the list and then click its {button Disable} button. Repeat this step for each plugin in the list. You do not need to restart Firefox for the changes to take effect. # Test for your problem. If it does not occur, go back to the Add-ons Manager tab and re-enable plugins one-by-one with the {button Enable} button until you find which one causes your problem to occur. If you find that disabling a plugin fixes your problem, continue following the steps in this article. = Updating or re-installing your plugins = Many problems with plugins can be solved by updating to the latest version of the plugin. [[T:plugincheck]] If updating to the newest version of the plugin or reinstalling it does not fix the problem, you can leave it disabled. = Manually uninstalling a plugin = If you can't use an uninstaller program to remove a plugin, you can remove it manually: # [[T:aboutconfig]] # Search for the preference: {pref plugin.expose_full_path}. # Double-click on the {pref plugin.expose_full_path} preference in the list to change the value to {pref true}. # Enter '''about:plugins''' into the Location bar to display the About Plugins page. # Each entry in the About Plugins page will have "File name:" followed by a path. {for win}Use Windows Explorer to navigate{/for}{for mac,linux}Navigate{/for} to the folder shown for the plugin you want to remove. # Rename the file to something other than its normal name - e.g. {filepath npswf32} becomes {filepath Xnpswf32} # Double-click on the {pref plugin.expose_full_path} preference in the list on the about:config page to change the value back to {pref false} to avoid exposing the plugin path to websites. The plugin will be removed. = Re-initializing the plugins database = In some cases, you may not be able to install or re-install a plugin. Re-initializing the plugins database may fix this problem: # [[T:profileFolder]] # [[T:closeFirefox]] # Delete the {filepath pluginreg.dat} file. # Open Firefox # In the Location bar type '''about:plugins''' and press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for} to bring up the Firefox plugins list. [[Template:ShareArticle|link=http://mzl.la/NYtGci]]

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